Originally posted September 20, 2018.
Confession: I don’t like apple pie. I know, I know. Blasphemy. It’s the quintessential American dish. Right? I do love apples. And I love the spices in it. But I just cant get past the texture of warm chunky apples. I can’t do it. The textures! Ask me about coconut shrimp one day (gag)…
I do love apple cider. And the smell of FALL! The first day of fall is Saturday, and even 
though it’s in the mid-90s here in North Mississippi, I am totally ready to embrace everything FALL! We have 3 pumpkins growing up the hill from our house that will hopefully be ready before Halloween. The kids love checking on them every day.
When we moved to our house, my husband planted 20 or so apple trees to get a head start on his dream of being a cider maker…which I think is AMAZING. This year we had one tiny apple. Stone fruit….but cute. We are excited to see what the next years bring with these trees and hope to build a garden and homestead around them. Just for fun, we also planted 4 peach trees in the grove. Would love to have homegrown peaches someday, too! The chickens love pecking around up near the apple tress and it’s very picturesque. Another reason we don’t regret our move from the suburbs to a piece of land a little farther away from the city.
So…back to apple cider. I am really excited to share this new recipe for Apple Cider Muffins. It’s a perfect little burst of fall flavor in a tasty little package and it’s simple to make. I am going to make them again this weekend a freeze some, because they are such a great snack!
For this recipe I decided to use essential oils to bring in the citrus essence, but you could use a splash of lemon and orange juice or some orange extract! I also wanted to make them with no added sugar, so I used granulated monk fruit sweetener from Lakanto. I got it from Thrive Market. You could also use swerve, coconut sugar, or regular sugar.
For gluten-free muffins, just use your favorite GF flour blend. I used Einkorn flour which is one of my go-to ingredients. If you’re Celiac or have a gluten allergy, it might not be a good option for you. But if you are just sensitive to gluten (or the pesticides in conventional wheat), OR if you want a healthier alternative to all-purpose flour, Einkorn is a great option. Because it bakes well, is low in gluten, high in B vitamins, and is really tasty! It gives a very smooth texture in everything I have made with it.
This recipe is made with applesauce – I just used my kids applesauce pouches. There isn’t any apple cider in it, but the flavor of it tastes like apple cider!
<3
Shannon
Apple Spice Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 c 1:1 Gluten-Free flour blend like Bob's Red Mill
- 1 c gluten-free quick oats
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp each nutmeg, clove, and allspice
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened (dairy-free, if desired)
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 2 eggs
- 6 oz applesauce (or 2 pouches)
- 1/2 cup honey or granulated monk fruit sweetener
- 1/4 cup brown sugar (I used Swerve brown sugar substitute)
- 1 tsp vanilla (optional)
- 8 drops orange and 4 drops lemon essential (therapeutic/food grade) (or use a splash of juice or 1 tsp orange extract)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º.Mix flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and other spices in a bowl and set aside.With a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream together sugars and cream cheese until well combined. Add the butter, eggs, applesauce, vanilla and orange and lemon flavoring (essential oils) one at a time and continue to mix until a thick batter is formed.Drop into lined muffin tins with a medium cookie scoop or 3/4 of the way full. Bake at 350 for 20-25 min or until set and a toothpick comes out clean.Let cool and ENJOY!
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